Aloysius Kare (Earth-616)
| Relatives = Red Hawk (foster father), Rosa Kare (wife) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Moble | Gender = Male | Height = | Weight = | Eyes = Brown | Hair = Black | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Married | Occupation = Scout | Education = | Origin = Human | PlaceOfBirth = Old West | Creators = John Buscema | First = Two-Gun Western #5 | Death = Apache Skies #1 | HistoryText = Preface Due to the legendary status of the Apache Kid, many of his adventures and exploits were adapted into dime store novels altering facts to suit the writers of the time and the sensibilities of the reading audiences. Whenever possible, this article will differentiate between fictional and actual events. Origins Actual Origins The Apache Kid was born during the days of the American Frontier. He was the son of a white man and a Chokonen Apache woman. He was born Aloysius Dazii Kare. Dazii being the Apache equivalent to "He Stands Alone". He lived with the Apaches during the 1870s when the United States government was forcing Apaches along the Rio Grande to relocate to the reservation in San Carlos. While both sides warred against each other, Kare adopted the Apache way of life. He came to the opinion that the white man was there to stay and that the only way the Apache could survive was through peace between the two warring factions . Fictional Origin There are many origins of the Apache Kid that exist, all of which vary on certain key points. The original account states that the Apache Kid was one Alan Krandal, whose family were among settlers travelling through a wagon train through Arizona. Their trail was attacked by an army of Apache warriors led by Red Hawk who had come to war against the white man. Alan's mother sacrificed her life so that Alan and his friends Bill and Mary Gregory could escape the slaughter. Alan sprained his ankle and had Bill and Mary leave him so that they could escape. Alan was found by Red Hawk and his people. When he was threatened by Brown Toad to give information Alan refused even at the fear of death. Impressed by the boy's bravery, Red Hawk decided to take the boy in as his adopted son and train him to eventually be used as a spy against white men. Alan was then re-christened the Apache Kid. They trained him in the ways of the Apache. The Apaches stained the boys skin with root juice to give him a similar skin tone. They had a white gun dealer named Fannin train the boy how to shoot. Red Hawk also planned to have Apache Kid replace him as the chief of the tribe after his death, earning the ire of Brown Toad who desired the title for himself. Apache Kid still refused to accept the Apache's way, remembering that they slaughtered his family and believed that white men were not capable of evil. Growing to adulthood, Apache Kid soon saw a different side of the conflict while out on a hunting party with Red Hawk. On their way back to camp they were attacked by white settlers and were forced to retreat. Returning home they were horrified to find that many of their people had been slaughtered by white men. Apache Kid realized that both Native Americans and white settlers were capable of great evil and vowed to fight for peace between the two nations. Apache Kid developed the alter ego of roving cowboy Aloysius Kare and agreed to spy on nearby Fort Madison to learn when the US Army was going to attack their village. Unknown to Kare, both Brown Toad and Fannin were plotting to see his mission fail as a war would benefit both men. When Kare arrived at the base he was instantly arrested and was surprised to find that his childhood friend Bill Gregory was now the captain of the base. Bill informed Aloysius that they were going to attack Red Hawk's people at noon and locked Aloysius in the jail. However, when Mary Gregory came to visit him, Kare took the opportunity to break free and escape. Changing back into the Apache Kid, Kare started a brush fire that not only kept the army at bay, but burned Brown Toad and Fannin alive. In the aftermath, Apache Kid assisted Red Hawk in moving his people to a new location but refused to live among them deciding to move about the area and strive for peace between the white settlers and the Apache people. In another less dramatic account that does not involve Brown Toad, Fannin or the altercation at Fort Madison, Apache Kid was about to be killed by Red Hawk himself, when Red Hawk saw much bravery in the boy and decided to raise him as his own. Much later, while out hunting with Red Hawk, the Apache Kid prevented his adopted father from shooting a white man with an arrow. Later, Apache Kid confided to Red Hawk that he had seen atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict and had resolved to make peace between the two people. He soon left the Apache tribe to carry out his life's mission thereafter. Fictional History Early on in his career, Apache Kid tamed a black stallion whom he named Night-Wind. Like the Apache Kid's origins, there are different accounts on how the Apache Kid obtained Night-Wind as his trusty steed. The first account states that Apache Kid was chasing after Bulge Lister and his gang across the Arizona desert. The gang shot Apache Kid's horse dead leaving him stranded in the desert. He spotted the horse with a number of mares at a watering hole. When rattle snakes attacked the horse, the snakes bit his leg. Apache Kid killed the snakes and the horse trusted him enough to let him close enough to drain the poison and dress the wound. Apache Kid then named the horse Night-Wind. Bulge and his men stole Night-Wind and turned him over to a Native American chief named Old Toad who wanted to kill the horse for stealing mares from his tribe. The horse refused to be tamed by these strange men and Apache Kid eventually rescued the it, and it remained with him ever since. A completely different story, told by the Apache Kid himself, states that he first encountered Night-Wind while hunting for outlaws in his guise of Aloysius Kare. The horse raced past him before he was captured by the outlaws. Kare was tied to a tree to be dealt with later, but he was surprised when the horse came to his rescue and chewed through his bonds. Later, when he and his tribe were chasing outlaws whom they were about to lose once they crossed the border, Night-Wind and his herd suddenly appeared and blocked their path but disappeared after the outlaws were captured. Once more as Kare, Apache Kid was chased by renegade Native Americans who shot his horse dead. Night-Wind and his herd then attacked the renegades. In the aftermath, the horse came to Kare. Noting his horse was dead, Night-Wind allowed Kare to take him as his new horse. In one of his early recorded adventures, Apache Kid helped stop the sabotage of a train line by renegade Native American Red Rain and his tribe, who were trying to prevent settlers from expanding into their territory. Apache Kid exposed local businessman Luke Rosbey for supplying Red Rain with guns for his own personal means. Apache Kid saved the passengers from a deadly train wreck, and soon differences between Rosbey and Red Rain ended explosively when a stray shot from Red Rain set off dynamite, killing the conspirators. Later Aloysius Kare came to the rescue of a stage coach that appeared to be under attack by members of a Comanche tribe. However, as the Apache Kid, Kare soon discovered that they were really outlaws posing as Comanches hired by D.T. Goodrich. Goodrich was attempting to kill the last surviving relative of his business partner in order to claim his ranch. Apache Kid managed to calm the area Comanches long enough to expose Goodrich, who later fell to his death from a cliff battling the Apache Kid. Apache Kid later discovered the identity of the Wolf who was really US Army official Harryu Snedly. Snedly inflamed local Native Americans by selling them liquor in the hopes that the military would wipe them out. Later, at the behest of his friend Captain Bill Gregory, Apache Kid prevented an alliance between Red Hawk's Apaches and Grey Wolf's Comanches in order to prevent Grey Wolf from forcing a war against the white settlers in the area. Riding into the town of Green River as Aloysius Kare, the Kid discovered it was being ruled by the crooked Silas Craig and ended his reign over the town. When Apache Kid and his lover White Swan were targeted by a white man inflamed by anti Native American bigotry, he stopped the spread of hate by outperforming Native hater Wolf Crag the so-called "Indian Killer". Apache Kid soon earned a rival in his own tribe, the warrior known as Running Moose who was jealous of Apache Kid's position in the tribe. He challenged the Kid to track down and kill Mogowa the mountain lion hoping to double cross the Kid and kill him. However, when the mountain lion attacked Running Moose himself, the Apache Kid saved his life, humiliating his foe. The Kid next came to the aid of young Tod Grant whose father had been gunned down by outlaw Whip Royce. The Kid avenged Tod's father in his name. Shortly thereafter, Apache Kid was framed for a gold theft by Blackie Grimms. The Kid used his double identity in order to clear his own name. Later, he defended the tribe from a giant eagle that threatened their food supply. Running Moose once again attempted to eliminate the Apache Kid, this time challenging him to slay the bear known as Big Claws using only one arrow. Unknown to the Apache Kid at the time, Running Moose had seen that Big Claws was not the only bear living in its cave. Despite this trick, Apache Kid slew both bears and exposed Running Moose's deceit. Running Moose was then exiled from the tribe, vowing revenge. When lawyer Marcus Bascomb learned that the Apache's land was rich in gold, he attempted to buy the land and force them off. When Apache Kid learned this, he foiled Bascomb by beating him to the purchase of the land claim in his Aloysius Kare guise. Apache Kid was later manipulated by a vigilante named Larson Meads who was attempting to instigate a war between the Apaches and the army in a plot to win the right to police the Native American population. Apache Kid revealed the deception. As Aloysius Kare, the Kid and Bill Gregory stopped a gang of outlaws killing anyone who got close to their lost Native American burial ground and its treasures at the Pass of the Arrow. Running Moose soon resurfaced attempting to trample the Apache village, but Apache Kid foiled this plot and Running Moose was seemingly trampled to death by horses. The Apache Kid was soon taken prisoner by the Croyo warrior Stalking Panther who sought to attack both the military and the Apaches. The Kid was freed by White Swan and foiled Stalking Panther's plot. Shortly thereafter, the Apache Kid was once again framed for a crime he did not commit, this time by a man named Langley in the town of Twin Rivers. However, as with other attempts, the Apache Kid cleared his name and caught the crook. Apache Kid was among the Apaches present when the senator of the state had come to visit Fort Madison. A prejudiced soldier named Calhoun planted an explosive to sour relations between the Apaches and the United States government. Apache Kid was blamed for the explosion. However the blast caused a forest fire trapping Calhoun. When the Apache Kid rescued Calhoun from the inferno, the soldier confessed his crimes. In a reversal of usual frame ups, Aloysius Kare was framed for murdering Angus Dubbsa, New York City railroad agent. Avoiding capture, Kare -- as the Apache Kid -- cleared his name. Becoming frustrated with the lack of affection from the Apache Kid, White Swan hatched a scheme to win him over. She convinced some local cowboys to pretend to hold her hostage so that the Apache Kid could rescue her. Having gotten wind of this, the crafty Apache Kid decided to teach her a lesson by rescuing her in his alter ego of Aloysius Kare. Having survived his last attempt against the Apache Kid, Running Moose began working with gold prospector Anthony Nichols. The pair framed the Apache Kid in a coach robbery. As with other attempts to frame the Kid for crimes, the Apache Kid cleared his name once more. A similar plot to frame Aloysius Kare was also tried by Wyatt Kune. The results of this plot fared no better than past attempts to frame the hero. Soon after capturing the Bacardo Al, the Apache Kid once again had to rescue White Swan from danger when she was kidnapped by Black Cougar. Black Cougar was an exiled Apache warrior who sought revenge against Red Hawk by kidnapping his niece. The Apache Kid came to White Swan's rescue in his alter-ego of Aloyisus Kare, exploiting Black Cougar's unfamiliarity with his cowboy persona. Black Cougar was slain when Kare caused the cave he was hiding out in to collapse. When a highly influential Native American leader named Bald Eagle was rallying the local tribes to go to war against Fort Madison, the Apache Kid refused, making him an outlaw among the Native People. The Kid escaped, changing back into Aloysius Kare to go and warn the Fort. When the Apaches refused to join the war they were made prisoners. Kare helped Bill Gregory defend the fort until the Apaches freed themselves and also joined the fight, forcing Bald Eagle and his invaders back. During a meeting with Bill Gregory and Red Hawk, Apache Kid's double identity was compromised when they were spied upon by dance hall owner Nellie Green. Green was attempting to smuggle illegal gambling equipment into the area and used her knowledge to force the Apache Kid into her service. However, the Kid managed to slip a note to Bill Gregory, and when Nellie was bringing her equipment across the border, the pair wiped her and her gang out, preserving the Kid's alter-ego. When trying to flee out of the state, outlaw Gunner Simms and his gang succeeded in kidnapping the Apache Kid, using him as a hostage to secure their escape. However the hero managed to break free and slay Gunner before he could flee justice. Soon after, Running Moose was brought to trial for his past crimes. In a surprise to everyone, the Apache Kid vouched for Running Moose's continued good conduct less the Apache Kid take the blame for any wrong doing. However, the Apache Kid did this in order to force his old foe's hand for his next attempt at trying to eliminate the Kid. To this end, Apache Kid earned the confidence of Running Moose in his alter-ego of Aloysius Kare. As Kare, Apache Kid was made privy to Running Moose's plot to fight Apache Kid to the finish. When Running Moose's guard was down, Kare changed back into the Apache Kid and slew Running Moose in combat as both his tribe and the army watched. A drought soon struck the area leaving the Apaches dwindling crops. A warrior named Big Thunder used the famine to try to take control of the tribe by bringing up an old tribal law that called for the death of the chief should there be a famine, as a means to appease the gods. However, White Swan circumvented this law by offering herself in sacrifice instead. When the Apache Kid attempted to rescue her, he too was overpowered and set to burn at the stake along with his love. However, the pair were saved when Red hawk was seemingly able to summon rain by appealing to the gods. Big Thunder was ousted and Red Hawk was restored to his former position. Soon after, the Apache Kid helped put down the outlaws Kit Faraday and coach robber Wild Will. Apache Kid later assisted his people and the US Army in stopping a renegade tribe of Blackeagles led by Tall Beaver. He soon learned that a Native named Red Arrow was being manipulated into attacking Fort Madison by the last survivor of a fire worshiping cult, exposing the deception. White Swan once again tried to win Apache Kid's love by accepting a marriage proposal by rival chief Thundercloud, necessitating a battle between Thundercloud and Apache Kid. Thinking that White Swan wanted to marry Thundercloud, Apache Kid purposely lost the fight. However, when he learned this was another one of White Swan's tricks, he rescued her as Aloysius Kare by beating Thundercloud in a fight. Later, when Red Hawk fell ill, Tall Elk, the son of the tribal medicine man, tricked everyone into thinking that the gods wanted to sacrifice the Apache Kid so that Red Hawk could live. The Kid fled and got a doctor who cured Red Hawk, and slew Tall Elk when his deception was revealed. When Aloysius Kare was framed for the murder of local gambler, Apache Kid forced a confession from his killer. When Red Deer was murdered, Aloysius Kare and Bill Gregory investigated and captured his killer, an outlaw posing as a hermit trying to prevent discovery . When a gold rush in California brought travelers through their land, the Apaches welcomed the travelers to stay in their village. When two of the visitors killed one of his people and stole his jewelry, Apache Kid tracked them down and brought them to justice. Soon after, the Apache Kid was brought to a secret Apache burial ground by Red Hawk. Learning that outlaw Blackjack Dillon and his Native American companion Long Panther intended to kill Red Hawk so they could learn the location of the burial site to steal the treasures hidden there, Apache Kid foiled this plot. Later he stopped a gang of outlaws who were posing as Native Americans to attack wagons travelling through the region. Later, when Red Hawk's tribe was taken over by the renegade Dragon Face, he kidnapped Mary Gregory to sacrifice her to the gods. The Apache Kid came to he rescue and slew Dragon Face, restoring Red Hawk into power of his people. Later Fictional Tales After many years of fighting for peace between Native Americans and American settlers, the Apache Kid became something of a legend among the various tribes in the region. Red Hawk grew older, and his romance with White Swan had appeared to have ended, as the Apache Kid appeared to abandon all romantic endeavours in favour of focusing his time and energy to maintaining the peace in the region. In addition, these later tales showed a more compassionate Apache Kid, who appeared to have renounced killing and would frequently avoid slaying his foes with weapons, choosing instead to subdue them with hand to hand combat instead.This was around the period in which the Comic Code Authority came into effect, greatly censoring violence in comics that were published at the time. The Apache Kid helped his people defend the horses they had rounded up from rustlers, and when a red stallion saved his life during the altercation, he set it free in thanks. Later, the Apache warrior known as Poison Arrow convinced Red Hawk's tribe that he had received word from the gods that they should go to war against the white men on their land after Red Hawk fell ill. Forced to comply as the Apache Kid, the hero changed into his alter ego of Aloysius Kare to expose Poison Arrow's lies. Learning that his foe Flying Cloud of the Cayuga tribe had survived an execution and convinced his people to war against the Apaches and white men, however the Apache Kid came to stop Flying Cloud, slaying him in combat. Later the Apache Kid came to the rescue of a recluse named Tumbleweed Hawkins, who was being attacked by outlaws who sought to steal his map to a nearby gold mine. Shortly thereafter, the Apache Kid finds his divided loyalties between the Apache tribe and the US Army strained the next time that Red Hawk fell ill. This time the tribal totems gave signal that the Apaches had to go to war against the white man and rival Coho tribe in order to restore their leader to health. However, when the Apache Kid learns that a gang of outlaws were using this opportunity to raid Fort Madison, the Apache Kid tricked his people into attacking the fort and defeating the outlaws, causing the totems to change back to normal and ending the conflict. Later the Kid assisted in the take down of outlaw Hank Bower. Later, the Apache Kid was chased up Eagle Canyon by Bull Thompson and his gang, but the hero managed to defeat them with the aid of the eagles that resided there. When the Croyo tribe approached the Apaches to force them into going to war against the white settlers, the Apache Kid clashed once more with his old foe Yellow Feather, defeating him in combat and preventing any further conflict. When his people were later framed for stealing weapons headed for Fort Madison, the Apache Kid worked together with his friend Captain Bill Gregory to expose the real thief to be Rod Barron, a gun dealer who hired a gang of outlaws to pose as Apaches to steal the weapons. When a series of fires set on Apache land drives the tribe to prepare for war against the army, the Apache Kid exposed Buzz and his gang as the real culprits, who sought the oil rich lands the Apaches lived on. When land owner Warner Grant erected a fence around his property to keep the Apaches from crossing his land to get to their hunting grounds, the Apache Kid went to talk to him. This led to a clash which ended with Grant's home catching fire thanks to flood water striking his electric fence. After the Apache Kid rescued Grant, he changed his ways and consented to let the Apaches through his land in the future. When the disgraced warrior Swift Buffalo and his son Little White Pine were exiled from the tribe, Swift Buffalo amassed an army of renegades to attack Fort Madison. The Apache Kid intervened and showed Swift Buffalo the errors of his ways after rescuing Little White Pine from danger. Shortly thereafter, the Apache Kid came to the aid of some settlers who had run afoul of the Tomahawk tribe, proving to both parties that they were equals when the Tomahawk's youngest warrior Great Bear and the settler's boy Billy Kincaid fought each other to a standstill. Once more protecting the horses of his people, the Apache Kid stopped a rustler named Barlow from stealing them. The Kid again prevented a war between the tribes, when challenged the Coho chief Flaming Wolf during another push to go to war against the settlers in the region. Later when Red Hawk was decreed too old to lead his people, Apache Kid in his alter-ego of Aloysius Kare orchestrated a fight between himself and Red Hawk which Red Hawk in turn won, proving that he was still worthy to lead his people. Pretending to go on the rampage the Apache Kid helped Bill Gregory expose a bear poaching plot by a fur trapper named Peters. Later, the Kid -- on behalf of Bill Gregory -- convinced Red Hawk to send his Apaches to try and stop Swift Buffalo's Sioux tribe. This led to Red Hawk and Apache Kid being defeated in battle and Swift Buffalo briefly controlled the Apaches until the Kid and Red Hawk broke free and led Swift Buffalo into an ambush. There the Apache Kid defeated Swift Buffalo in single combat, and Swift Buffalo renounced his war call. The Kid later stopped Big Wolf and his Pohantos tribe from looting the ancient burial ground of the long extinct Sachems tribe. Shortly thereafter after the gods apparently had caused a draught, the Apache Kid faced the so-called "River of No Return", causing it to rain when he survived the rapids. The Apache Kid later exposed a contract between fur magnate Mr. Jennings and the Apache warrior known as Flying Eagle to send the Apaches to war so they would be wiped out, allowing Jennings and Flying Eagle to reap the profit from the Apache buffalo hunting grounds. As Aloysius Kare, the Apache Kid also exposed outlaw Joe Moss, who attempted to loot an entire town by disguising his gang as Apaches, and forced a confession out of him as the Apache Kid. In his last recorded fictional account, the Apache Kid briefly lost control of his horse Nightwind when the steed abandoned him to live with wild horses. Combining the skills in both of his identities, the Apache Kid managed to tame Nightwind once again. Actual History The Kid eventually found true love with a half-Apache, half-white woman named Rosa. Rosa once stole ponies from Red Hawk's camp, trying to prove herself as a fighter. Dazii recovered the ponies, but when she stole some a second time he pursued her again, and they fell in love. They were married and given an auspicious blessing at their union by Goyathlay, better known as Geronimo. Dazii's efforts as a peacemaker ultimately drove him apart from both whites and Apaches, as whites suspected Aloysius Kare to be a disloyal American, and the Apaches thought him a coward. Not even Rosa could fully understand him, and she left to fight alongside Goyathlay. During the railroad wars, he fought for the Colorado & Texas Line against the Santa Fe & Pacific Railroads. He became close friends with the Rawhide Kid during this period. He also made an enemy of William Tyler, the Santa Fe and Pacific's owner. When Dazii had William's son Billy imprisoned for planning an attempt on Goyathlay's life, the elder Tyler had his son released and Billy Tyler had the Apache Kid ambushed and murdered. Rosa became the new Apache Kid and avenged his death and with the help of the Rawhide Kid by killing Billy Tyler. | Powers = | Abilities = The Apache Kid was a skilled fighter, tracker and horseman. He was also very capable in the use of knives, tomahawks, bows and arrows as well as firearms. | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = Apache Kid rode a horse named Nightwind | Weapons = Rifle, pistols, knives and a bow and arrow. | Notes = | Trivia = * As an ally of Captain Bill Gregory, Allan was in love with White Swan, but ultimately married Rosa. | Links = * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_Kid * http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/a/apachekid.htm }} Category:Western Characters Category:Golden-Age Characters Category:Gunfighters Category:Trackers Category:Equestrianism Category:Archery Category:Shooting